Simulated pocket handkerchief



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7rro United States Patent Ofi ice 3,514,790 Patented June 2, 1970 3,514,790 SIMULATED POCKET HANDKERCHIEF William Paul Harvey, Arab, Ala., assignor to Paul Harvey Ltd., Inc., Arab, Ala., a corporation of Alabama Filed Sept. 25, 1968, Ser. No. 762,507

Int. Cl. A41b 15/00 US. Cl. 2279 8 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE FIELD OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to breast pocket handkerchiefs. More specifically, this invention relates to a simulated breast pocket handkerchief comprising a decorative puff of fabric secured to a rigid pocket support member.

Even more specifically, this invention relates to a specific fold of a decorative fabric puff and an adjustable pocket support member.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART conventionally, handkerchiefs are worn in the breast pockets of mens jackets to present an attractive folded appearance. However, as is well known, the folding and positioning of handkerchiefs often present problems which are not easy of solution. Thus, such handkerchiefs frequently become displaced from their originally intended position so that they are hidden from view and hence, insofar as an ornamental function, become of no utility. To remedy this difiiculty, resort has been made to elaborate folding methods in order to serve as a support for the handkerchief in its intended position. Such folding in combination with a particular style of fold of that portion of the handkerchief intended to be visible, required unduly complex operations.

Various devices have been proposed heretofore, as a substitute for such ornamental handkerchiefs, but these have not been satisfactory because of the weight and the bulk usually involved and other objections incidental to their use.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, a fancy rectangular blank of fabric is folded along a plurality of fold lines which are spaced from and parallel to the diagonal of the rectangular blank so as to form a triangle having a base contining a plurality of diagonally disposed pleats. The free ends of the pleated base portion of the triangle are drawn together .with the apex of the triangle and the material is'gathered and secured in position so as to form a stiffened foundation. In a preferred embodiment, this operation is performed in a three fingered jig so that when the free ends of the base and the apex are joined together, a tape loop can be slipped over the gathered material and secured thereto to add stability and stiffening to the base. Thereafter, the excess material below the stiffened foundation is cut away and the stiffened foundation is secured to a pocket support member which in a preferred embodiment is a sheath containing a vertically adjustable insert, utilized to compensate for the differences in depths of mens jacket pockets.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Referring now to the drawings, FIG. 1 is a plan view illustrating the fabric blank of this invention.

FIG. 2 is a view in perspective illustrating the jig of this invention.

FIG. 2A is a view in perspective illustrating the tape loop of this invention utilized in forming the stiffened foundation at the bottom of the folded fabric puff.

FIG. 3 is a view in perspective illustrating the method of forming the blank of this invention into a triangle on the jig of this invention.

FIG. 4 illustrates the folded decorative fabric puff containing the accordion pleats at the top and the stiffened foundation at the bottom.

FIG. 5 is a view in perspective illustrating the finished fabric puif to which the tape loop has been secured at the bottom to form the stiffened foundation and to which a series of eyelets has been provided to aid in securing it to the pocket support member.

FIG. 6 is an elevational view illustrating the finished product secured to the rigid pocket support member containing a vertically adjustable insert with portions broken away to illustrate the details of construction.

FIG. 7 is a view in elevation, illustrating another modification of the adjustable insert for the pocket support member.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken along lines 8-8 of FIG. 6, illustrating the detail of the method of adjusting the slidable insert in the pocket support sheath.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to the drawings in detail, FIG. 1 illustrates the decorative fabric rectangular blank 1 which as illustrated is an 11 inch rectangular square blank. The diagonal 2 divides the blank 1 into two triangles. Spaced from and parallel to the diagonal 2 are fold lines 3 and 4 separated by fabric 5 between diagonal 2 and fold line 3 and fabric 6 between diagonal 2 and fold line 4. If the blank 1 is folded into a triangle, the non-adjacent corners AA form the apex of the triangle while the nonadjacent corners intersected by diagonal 2 from the free ends of the base B of the triangle.

As is illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 2-A, a jig 14 containing projecting fingers 15, 16 and 17, is utilized to form the blank 1 into the decorative puff. A tape loop 20, illus trated in FIG. 2A is slipped first over the three projecting fingers 15, 16 and 17 as shown in FIG. 2 and thereafter, the fabric blank 1 is folded by gathering the material over the fingers along the fold lines 2, 3 and 4 so as to form diagonally disposed pleats 7, 8 and 9. Thus the fabric blank 1 is formed into a fabric triangle in which the base B contains a series of accordion pleats 7, 8 and 9 and the apex is formed from the two non-adjacent corners AA. Thereafter, as is shown in FIG. 3, the free ends 10 and 12 of the base B are brought together with the apex A of the triangle and the material is gathered and the tape loop 20* is then slipped over the gathered material and stapled thereto by means of staples 21 to form a stiffened foundation. As is shown in FIG. 4, the excess material is then cut away by means of scissors 22 and eyelets 23 can then be placed through the tape and the gathered material, thus forming the stiffened foundation of the finished pufl.

As is shown in FIG. 6', the finished puff is secured to the rigid pocket support member 30, which is in the form of a sheath containing a two part separable snap fastener on the top interior surface thereof. Therefore, the male stud 31 extends through the eyelet 23 in the tape 2.0 and gathered material to engage with the female portion of the snap fastener 32.

As is shown in FIG. 7, the eyelets 23 may be omitted from the tape 20 and eyelets 40 secured through the rigid pocket support 30 and the stiffened foundation of the finished fabric puff. However, in the preferred method, it is possible to utilize various colors and designs of fabric puffs, merely by unsnapping the fabric puff from the rigid pocket support member 30 and inserting a puff of a different color or design.

As is illustrated in both FIGS. 6 and 7, the rigid pocket support members 30 are vertically adjustable by means of a vertically slidable insert 33. However, the means of adjusting or holding the insert at a predetermined position differs, since, as is illustrated in FIG. 6, the slidable insert 33 contains a longitudinal slot 34 through which the shaft 37 of bolt 36 is inserted and fastened on the other side by means of nut 38. Interposed between the interior surface of the sheath 30 and the slidable insert 33 is a rubber washer 35 which is thus squeezed into engagement with the slidable insert 33 through manipulation of the head 36 of the bolt and the nut 38 of the bolt, so as to hold the insert at a selected vertical position of extension.

The method of adjusting the slidable insert 33 as illustrated in FIG. 7 is through a series of vertically disposed alignment openings 41 through which the sheath 30 is engaged by means of male stud 42 of a two part separable snap fastener through alignment opening 41 to engage with the female portion of the two part snap fastener, not shown. Thus, by engaging the snap fastener and sliding the insert up or down the increment of one or more engagement openings 41, the vertical adjustment of the extending portion of the slidable insert 33 can be made so as to properly adjust the pocket support member 30 into the pocket of a mans jacket.

It will be appreciated that there has been provided here a method of making an extremely decorative fabric puff from an essentially small portion of fancy fabric only 11 inches square. It is not necessary to finish the sides of the square, since none of the raw edges show in the finished puff and there is produced a puff having a series of longitudinal accordion pleats, which is very decorative to the eye. Added to this improvement in the art is the ease in which the puff is fabricated by merely folding along a series of fold lines parallel and spaced from the diagonal of the fabric blank through the use of a simple jig containing only three projecting fingers and sliding a tape loop over the gathered material and securing the tape loop thereto to form a stiffened foundation for the fabric puff. Further, two distinct means of adjustably securing the decorative handkerchief in the pocket are shown.

I claim:

1. A simulated pocket handkerchief, comprising:

(A) a decorative fabric puff, comprising a fabric blank folded upon itself and including at least two longitudinal accordion pleats at the top and a stiffened foundation at the bottom (B) said longitudinal accordion pleats, including fabric folded upon itself along the diagonal of said blank and along fold lines spaced from and parallel to said diagonal, and,

(C) said stiffened foundation including, the free ends of said folded blank gathered together with and secured to the free pheripheral edges of said blank; and,

(D) the combination therewith of a rigid pocket support member attached to said stiffened foundation.

2. A simulated pocket handkerchief, as defined in claim 1, in which:

(A) said rigid pocket support member is a sheath containing a two part separable fastener mounted on the interior portion of the top of said sheath;

(B) said stiffened foundation of said decorative fabric puff containing engagement openings for engagement with said two part separable fasteners, so that said decorative puff may be removably attached to said rigid pocket support member.

3. A simulated pocket handkerchief, as defined in claim 1, in which:

(A) said rigid pocket support member is a sheath and the stiffened foundation of said decorative puff is attached to the interior surface of the top of said sheath;

(B) the combination therewith of an adjustable rigid insert slidably positioned within said sheath, with a free portion extending from the bottom of said sheath; and,

(C) fastening means for adjustably extending said insert vertically relative to said sheath.

4. A simulated pocket handkerchief, as defined in claim 3, in which:

(A) said fastening means comprises a two part separable fastener mounted on the interior of said sheath, and alignment openings in said insert whereby said fasteners selectively engage with one of said alignment openings and hold said insert in variably extended positions.

5. A simulated pocket handkerchief, as defined in claim 3, in which said fastening means includes:

(A) a vertical positioning slot in said insert;

(B) a threaded bolt, extending through said sheath and through said slot;

(C) the combination therewith of a washer frictionally positioned between said sheath and said insert for holding said insert in variably extended positions.

6. A method of forming a simulated pocket handkerchief, having at least two accordion pleats, which comprises:

(A) folding a rectangular blank of fabric along a series of fold lines, spaced from and parallel to the diagonal of said blank to form a triangle containing at least two diagonally disposed pleats forming the base of said triangle;

(B) pulling the free ends of said base of said triangle together with the apex of said triangle;

(C) gathering the fabric of the free ends of said base and the apex of said triangle together and securing Sarge to form a stiffened foundation at the bottom; an

(D) fastening said stiffened foundation to one end of a rigid pocket support.

7. A method of forming a simulated pocket handkerchief, as defined in claim 6, the further step of:

(A) cutting off the gathered excess fabric at the apex and free ends of said triangle.

8. A method of forming a simulated pocket handkerchief, as defined in claim 6, the further step of:

(A) slipping a tape loop over said gathered material and securing said loop to said gathered material to form said stiffened foundation.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,168,787 8/1939 Beardsley 2279 2,269,511 1/ 1942 Biederman 2-279 2,738,515 3/1956 Owen 2-279 3,072,917 1/1963 Watson 2279 FOREIGN PATENTS 763,137 7/1967 Canada.

ALF'R-ED R. GUEST, Primary Examiner 

